Author note:
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Lys woke up first.
The room was still dim, morning light only just beginning to creep in through the edges of the closed window. His entire body felt heavy and sore, especially his ribs, which throbbed with a steady, dull pain. Even though his passive skill healed almost every injury he had, his rib healing was not going too well.
Plus, last night had taken everything out of him. Making his muscles ache in places he didn't even know could ache, and there was also a deep exhaustion that settled in his bones.
While lying down, he turned his head slowly.
Selene was curled tightly against his left side, her head resting on his chest, one arm draped across him. Her breathing was slow and peaceful.
On his right, Mira had claimed more than half the bed. She was sprawled out, one leg thrown possessively over his thigh, her red hair a wild mess across the pillow.
Both girls still carried the faint scent of soap mixed with the unmistakable smell of sex from last night. It was strange for Lys, but somehow comforting, too, at the same time.
He stared up at the ceiling and let out a quiet breath. A small, satisfied grin tugged at the corner of his mouth.
'Damn… we really overdid that, huh!'
A few minutes after him waking up, Mira also began to stir. She blinked sleepily, then suddenly stiffened when she registered Selene lying on the other side of Lys.
For a brief moment, she looked braced, like she was expecting some kind of awkward confrontation or something.
Selene opened her eyes next. She looked at Mira, then at Lys, then back at Mira again. The room stayed silent for several long seconds.
Finally, breaking the silence, Selene spoke in a dry, sleepy voice, without any shame or anything like that in her tone.
"Your elbow is digging into my ribs. Move it away."
Mira quickly yanked her arm back. "Oh..uh…Sorry…"
The tension between them snapped.
Mira let out a short laugh, seeing how Selene was totally unfazed, not ashamed of anything from last night. And Selene's lips also curved into a tired but genuine smile.
Seeing the scene between them, Lys chuckled softly, and the sound of his laugh rumbled through his chest.
"Well.. Morning, sleepyheads," he said, with a rough voice from sleep and everything they'd done last night.
Mira stretched lazily, not bothering to cover her bare chest anymore. "Yeah, I feel like I got trampled by a horse… but in the best way possible."
Then suddenly, Selene buried her face against Lys's shoulder for a moment, clearly still processing what happened last night. "We actually did all of that?" she muttered, half to herself.
"Yeah," Lys replied simply, running his fingers through her messy hair. "We did."
Mira propped herself up on one elbow, glancing between the two of them with a playful glint in her eyes. "So… no one is going to make this weird at breakfast, right? Because I'm really not ready for that kind of tension yet."
Selene snorted. "Too late. We still have to go downstairs and face everyone."
"UGhhh." Mira just grunted at that, clearly feeling frustrated knowing what's about to come.
They stayed in bed for a little while longer, enjoying the quiet warmth between them. There was no panic, no sudden regret or awkwardness. Only three people slowly waking up together, adjusting to this new, intimate reality in the soft morning light.
But eventually, they dragged themselves up. They got dressed and headed downstairs one by one, with a delay between each one, trying their best to look normal.
When they reached the main living area, the house was already alive with the sounds of morning activity. Elara was in the kitchen, the clink of cups and the smell of fresh herbal tea filling the air. Mitsu was quietly setting the table, placing plates and bread with her usual care. And Helga was there too, having returned early from her errand, Lys figured.
Helga took one look at the three of them walking in and raised an eyebrow.
"Whoa…You all look… tired, I guess," she said, tilting her head. "Did something happen last night while I wasn't here? You three look like you barely slept. What happened?"
Mira froze mid-step. Selene's shoulders tensed slightly. Only Lys managed to keep his face neutral, barely.
Before anyone could answer, Sara strolled in from the side room (Washroom), looking perfectly refreshed and composed. Her eyes swept over the three of them, and a small, knowing smile appeared on her lips.
"Oh my," Sara said lightly, voice sweet and innocent. "You three must have had a very… long night. Your faces are still a little red. Did you stay up talking about important things, or what?"
Mira's ears turned pink. In contrast, Selene couldn't figure out what to do to distract herself.
Hearing her tone, Lys knew instantly that Sara must've known about last night, and now she's trying to just mess with them, or feel them up.
Not looking at Lys, Sara continued casually as she took her seat at the table, picking up a piece of bread. "Well, it's good to see young people being so… close these days, you know." She said it in a way as if she were the old woman here.
Then she took a slow bite, eyes sparkling with mischief. " Family bonds are important, after all. Especially when everyone is so eager to help each other feel better, right?"
Elara, who was bringing tea to the table, glanced at them but didn't seem to catch the double meaning in Sara's voice. "Did you three really stay up that late for you to look like this? You should take better care of yourselves, guys. Didn't I say to take a rest last night?"
Sara smiled sweetly at Lys. "Don't worry, Miss Elara. I'm sure they were just… helping each other relax after a hard day. Please don't get too hard on them."
Lys shot Sara a look, and she met his gaze with perfect innocence. But Lys could see clearly that the corner of her mouth twitched upward. She was clearly enjoying this.
Mitsu, bless her, simply placed more bread on the table without picking up on anything. Helga, however, narrowed her eyes slightly, clearly sensing something was off about Sara's words, but still wasn't able to put her finger on what it was.
The breakfast continued with light conversation afterward. Elara asked about their plans for the day, though she didn't say anything about last night's leftover topic. She said she would pick up. Mitsu just quietly offered more tea. And Sara kept dropping tiny, harmless-sounding comments that only the three people at this table understood properly.
"Make sure you eat well," Sara said at one point, looking directly at Lys. "You'll need your strength after yesterday's hard work."
Lys almost choked on his tea, looking around to see if anybody was looking at him or not.
Like that, when breakfast was winding down, and Elara had stepped back into the kitchen for a moment, Sara leaned close to Lys while pretending to reach for more bread. Her voice dropped to a soft whisper that only he could hear.
"Be ready," she murmured. "If you want to go outside the village today… to Tresta's house… come find me quietly after breakfast. Without alerting Miss Elara."
Sara pulled back smoothly, smiling as if she had only commented on the weather, and continued eating like nothing had happened.
Lys felt a small surge of adrenaline run through him, thinking about the big day ahead of him.